How to free your mind: relax

Introducing the first of a new series of relaxation videos by meditation guru Andy Puddicombe, the man who soothes the souls of the stars

I meet Andy Puddicombe, meditation guru to Premier League footballers, cabinet
ministers and leading actors, in a sparsely decorated room in a London
clinic. It's the sort of place you go to discuss bunions, not the meaning of
life. Yet Puddicombe is soon imparting wisdom gleaned from several years as
a Buddhist monk, and guiding me through a meditation. The meditation lasts
for only 10 minutes, and during it I find my mind meandering through my
to-do lists, yet, when I open my eyes, I feel calm and focused — as if the
insides of my head have been spring-cleaned.

Over the years, a body of research has built up extolling the many benefits of
meditation. Most recently the Mental Health Foundation said the NHS should
prescribe meditation routinely for depression (at the moment only 1 in 20
GPs do). Scientific studies have shown that meditation — specifically,
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT),